CARE OF THE COLLECTION | Providing Good Stewardship

The City of Fort Worth enjoys a notable collection of public art spanning more than 100 years of creative work including contemporary commissions, acquisitions, as well as gifts, legacy monuments, memorials, sculptures, and murals. Building on the tenets of civic pride and community identity, the collection is both a significant financial investment and meaningful cultural asset.

Sited in publicly accessible locations throughout the city, the artworks represent an expansive range of sizes, shapes, and materials, each with specific requirements for maintenance and care. Exposure to the elements, including pollution, long term water exposure, extreme temperature changes, inclement weather, as well as vandalism, have a negative effect on outdoor artworks. The City’s commitment to caring for the collection is guided by a robust Collection Management Plan, outlined in the Fort Worth Public Art Master Plan Update, assures that artworks are regularly inspected and maintained and repaired as necessary.

In 2006, City Council adopted the Fort Worth Art Commission’s recommendation to create a special collection of historic artworks and gifts to the city that distinguishes it from the collection of artworks commissioned through the Fort Worth Public Art (FWPA) process.  Although sited on city property, city-owned artworks predating FWPA had not had the benefit of a structured maintenance program and many were in a state of disrepair.  Over the subsequent years, works in the Legacy Collection have received regular attention.  In addition, works such as the Al Hayne Monument dating from 1893, have received major conservation work to ensure that they may be enjoyed by citizens and visitors for may years to come.